ThePulitzerPrizes—prestigiousawardspresentedannually by ColumbiaUniversityforachievements in Americanjournalism,literature,andmusic—werecreated by journalistandpublisherJosephPulitzer,whosewillfundedtheestablishment of Columbia’sschool of journalism as well as theprizes.Ironically,ColumbiahadrejecteddonationoffersfromPulitzerduringhislifetimebecause, as one of theoriginators of yellowjournalism, he wasregarded as unscrupulous.What do prizewinnersreceive?More…Discuss
Harper Lee has announced that she will publish her second novel in 2015, a sequel of sorts to her beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee completed the manuscript, titled Go Set a Watchman, in the 1950s, but her editor persuaded her to more fully explore the childhood of the book’s main character, Scout, which resulted in To Kill a Mockingbird—until now, her only novel. Lee, now 88, became reacquainted with the manuscript when her lawyer came upon it last year. More…Discuss
Today In History. What Happened This Day In History
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Maxim Gorky is authorized to return to Russia after an eight year exile for political dissidence.
1920
The League of Nations holds its first meeting in Paris.
1920
Allies lift the blockade on trade with Russia.
1939
Franklin D. Roosevelt asks for an extension of the Social Security Act to include more women and children.
1940
Hitler cancels an attack in the West due to bad weather and the capture of German attack plans in Belgium.
1942
Japan’s advance into Burma begins.
1944
Eisenhower assumes supreme command of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe.
1945
The U.S. First and Third armies link up at Houffalize, effectively ending the Battle of the Bulge.
1956
The Egyptian government makes Islam the state religion.
1965
Eighteen are arrested in Mississippi for the murder of three civil rights workers.
1975
The Irish Republican Army calls an end to a 25-day cease fire in Belfast.
1979
The Shah leaves Iran.
1991
The Persian Gulf War begins. The massive U.S.-led offensive against Iraq — Operation Desert Storm — ended on February 28, 1991, when President George Bush declared a cease-fire, and Iraq pledged to honor future coalition and U.N. peace terms.
Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive.
Gone with the Wind, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novel by Margaret Mitchell, tells the story of a rebellious Georgia woman named Scarlett O’Hara. It presents a detailed view of her complex relationships with family and friends and her struggle to survive in the American South before, during, and after the Civil War. Many regard the book as having a strong ideological commitment to the cause of the Confederacy. Why was Mitchell’s book the subject of a 2001 court case?More…Discuss
Simon is an American playwright whose popular comedies touch on various aspects of modern middle-class life. Despite being known as a master jokesmith, Simon often tackles serious topics. His Pulitzer Prize-winning Lost in Yonkers, for example, deals with the painful subject of parental rejection. His many other plays include The Odd Couple and Brighton Beach Memoirs. Many have been adapted into films, and Simon has written numerous screenplays. How did he get his start? More…Discuss
Brooks was an award-winning poet whose compositions, written in a variety of forms, deal with the experience of being black and often of being female in America. Her 1949 book of poetry, Annie Allen, received a Pulitzer Prize, the first ever awarded to an African American. In 1994, she was named the National Endowment for the Humanities Jefferson Lecturer, one of the highest honors in the American literary world. How old was Brooks when her first poem was published? More…Discuss
Probably the greatest satirist of his era, Lewis wrote novels that present a devastating picture of middle-classAmerican life in the 1920s. His first literary successes were Main Street (1920), a merciless portrayal of Midwestern provincialism, and Babbitt (1922), an equally satiric portrait of a conformist businessman. Lewis refused a Pulitzer Prize in 1926, citing his objection to the idealized view of America espoused by the Pulitzer panel. What award did he accept in 1930? More…Discuss
One of Walker’s best-known early works was “Lyric” for String Orchestra. It was originally the 2nd movement, ‘Molto Adagio,’ of his String Quartet No. 1 (1946), and is performed here in that original version. The Son Sonora String Quartet: Ashley Horne and Airi Yoshioka, violins; Liu-Wien Ting, viola; Leo Grinhauz, cello from Albany TROY1082 (2009) http://www.albanyrecords.com
Chamber works from this Pulitzer Prize winning composer. Continuing Albany Records’ series of music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker, this recording focuses on his chamber music. The music ranges from his first string quartet composed in 1946 to the piano sonata composed in 1985. Walker is the recipient of six honorary doctoral degrees and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Contents: George Walker, composer String Quartet No. 1 Son Sonora String Quartet George Walker, composer String Quartet No. 2 Son Sonora String Quartet George Walker, composer Piano Sonata No. 4 Frederick Moyer, piano George Walker, composer Songs James Martin, baritone, George Walker, piano Review: “The piano sonata is a stunning, spacious work. Walker is at his finest in the songs. Each one is a gem. …James Martin’s warm baritone, concise diction, and wide variety of colors are a perfect match for these songs.” (American Record Guide) “From this CD one would conclude that [George Walker] is versatile, technically adept, and extremely skillful at changing styles…” (Fanfare)
As controversial as he is popular, Wynton Learson Marsalis is one of the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in classical music.
Currently the Musical Director of Jazz at Lincoln CenterWynton Marsalis has received many awards for his musical proficiency. These awards run the gambit of Grammys to a controversial awarding of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his three and half hour jazz oratorio CD box set Blood on the Fields, the first jazz album to win this award. Born in a musically oriented family in the New Orleans jazz scene at a young age Wynton was exposed to many legendary jazz musicians. Some of these musicians were Al Hirt, who gave Wynton his first trumpet when he was 6 years of age and Danny Barker, a legendary jazz banjoist who lead the Fairview Baptist Church band which Wynton was playing in when he was eight.
Wynton was very active musically during high school and was a member in many New Orleans musical organizations such as the N.O. symphony brass quintet, the N.O. community concert band, N.O. youth orchestra, N.O. symphony and a popular local funk band called the Creators. In 1978 he had a two-year stay at the Juilliard School of Music before joining the Jazz Messengers to study under master drummer and bandleader, Art Blakey. Not long after that he toured with the Herbie Hancock quartet before forming his own band. After many concerts and workshops Wynton rekindled widespread interest in an art form that had been largely abandoned. He has invested his creative energy and status in being an advocate for a relatively small era in the history of jazz. His advocacy in this area has garnered much controversy for his “classicist” view of jazz history considering post-1965 avant-garde playing to be outside of jazz and 1970s fusion to be barren.
This viewpoint was promoted strongly in Ken Burns‘ documentary Jazz; a documentary Wynton was artistic director and co-producer. However despite his controversial views few disagree that his musical abilities in both jazz and classical music are high impressive and worthy of the high praise it often receives.
An American journalist, Higgins covered major world events, including the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp and the Nuremberg Trials, and was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. While reporting on the Korean War, she was expelled from Korea by US General Walton Walker—who said the military had no time to prepare accommodations for women—but when she appealed to General Douglas MacArthur, the ban was lifted. Higgins’s life was cut short by a disease contracted while covering what? More…Discuss
Publication of his “Maple Leaf Rag” in 1899 brought him fame and had a profound influence on subsequent writers of ragtime. It also brought the composer a steady income for life with royalties of one cent per sale, equivalent to 26 cents per sale in current value. During his lifetime, Joplin did not reach this level of success again and frequently had financial problems, which contributed to the loss of his first opera, A Guest of Honor. He continued to write ragtime compositions, and moved to New York in 1907. He attempted to go beyond the limitations of the musical form which made him famous, without much monetary success. His second opera, Treemonisha, was not received well at its partially staged performance in 1915. He died from complications of tertiary syphilis in 1917.
Joplin’s music was rediscovered and returned to popularity in the early 1970s with the release of a million-selling album of Joplin’s rags recorded by Joshua Rifkin, followed by the Academy Award–winning movie The Sting which featured several of his compositions, such as “The Entertainer“. The opera Treemonisha was finally produced in full to wide acclaim in 1972. In 1976, Joplin was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Joplin)
Born in China to missionary parents, Hersey worked as a journalist in East Asia, Italy, and the Soviet Union from 1937 to 1946, including as a war correspondent during WWII. In 1944, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel A Bell for Adano, which depicts the Allied occupation of a Sicilian town. He later combined fact and fiction in his most famous work, Hiroshima, about the experiences of atomic-blast survivors. How did Hersey inspire Dr. Seuss to write The Cat in the Hat? More…Discuss
Born in Hungary, Pulitzer immigrated to the US during the Civil War and served in the Union Army. He later became a reporter and purchased and founded several newspapers, establishing the pattern of the modern newspaper by combining investigative reporting with publicity stunts, self-advertising, and sensationalism. In his will, he established the Pulitzer Prizes, annual awards for achievements in American journalism, letters, and music. What famous saying about journalism is attributed to him? More…Discuss
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CIDSE - TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE (CHANGE FOR THE PLANET -CARE FOR THE PROPLE-ACCESS THIS NEW WEBSITE FROM EUZICASA)
